1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle for children and particularly to a construction used for vehicles for children improved to arouse the interest of children.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Vehicles for children in various styles simulating automobiles, motorcycles, airplanes, animals and many other forms have appeared on the market. Such a variety of static shapes should not go unheeded from the standpoint of arousing the interest of children. The bodies of such vehicles for children are in most cases made of rigid plastics. Therefore, the vehicle bodies will usually be produced by a molding process using dies.
Such dies are known to be very expensive. Therefore, the diversified small-quantity production of vehicle bodies is not so desirable, involving an increase in cost. However, the market sees the need of a variety of vehicles for children, as described above and, actually, such vehicles are being offered to meet the need.
In designing and producing a variety of vehicles for children, the following should be taken into account. First, the provision of a variety of vehicles for children usually requires a corresponding variety of vehicle bodies. For this reason, the die must be changed each time a different vehicle body is to be produced. This is disadvantageous from the standpoint of cost, as described above. Next, even if vehicles for children are of various shapes, the shape of the respective vehicle bodies is changed only partly. This means, in particular, that if a suitable design is selected at the stage of designing a vehicle body, a change of only a portion may provide a different overall impression, and that the remaining portions can be used in common. When a vehicle for children is viewed as a whole, it is seen that the most important portion that performs the function of changing the impression as a whole is the front housing of the vehicle body. An investigation of vehicles for children on the market will reveal that it is the design of the front housing that determines whether the vehicle looks like an automobile, an airplane, an electric car or an animal. Thus, it is seen that the front housing has a great influence on the design of the vehicle for children as a whole.
Besides varying the static external shape as a means for arousing the interest of children, it is contemplated to give a dynamic external shape.
In other fields than that of ridable toy vehicles to which the present invention is directed, for example, in the field of toy automobiles which children hold with their hands to play with them, there has heretofore been an arrangement wherein the bonnet portion of an automobile is made removable or adapted to be opened and closed, as found in miniature toy cars, so as to arouse the interest of children by this dynamic function. In the field of ridable toys, i.e., vehicles for children, however, there has been no such arrangement wherein the bonnet portion is made removable or adapted to be opened and closed. Such dynamic function, however, is likely to be an important element for arousing the interest of children in the field of vehicles for children.
Further, in vehicles for children, not only the external shape but also accessories attached thereto are an element for arousing the interest of children. Such accessories become more diversified than said external shapes, and it is considered that only those of the accessories that are fantastic or elaborate can attract children. However, considering that the vehicles are for use by children, too complicated an arrangement can hardly be employed.